Island



(No Model.)

P. GRINNELL. a AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHR. No. 269

Patented Dec. 19

lldllllll N VEN/Hi N. PETERS www n UNITED STATES PATENT Erica FREDERICK GRINNELL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,203, dated December 19, 1882.

Application filed February 20, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK GEINNELL, of the cityand county of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Fire-Extinguishers; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specitication.

This invention is an improvement on Letters Patent No. 248,828, granted to me October 25,

1881, for an improvement in automatic fire-extinguishers, in which theoutlet is secured to a flexible diaphragm, and is held tight against the valve by the internal pressure acting on the exible diaphragm.

The invention consists in providing the case with a sliding piston, in. which the valve-seat is formed, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure l is a view of one form of automatic fire-extinguishers to which m'y presentimprovement is applied. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same, showing the piston provided with an outlet and valve-seat, held against a detlector, which also forms the valve, by the internal pressure. Fig". 3 is a top view of the automatic nre-extinguisher, showing the deflector perforated outside the central space which forms the valve by which the outlet is closed. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of an automatic (ire-extinguisher in which a valve is held by securing the valve-stem in a rose or perforated sprinkler with fusible solder, or, as is indicated in broken lines, by a cap extending over the distributer and secured near its base by fusible solder. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of an automatic reextinguisher, showing a detlector held in place by means ofcompound levers and a piston provided with an outlet forced against the deector by internal pressure. Fig. 6 is a View showing the extinguisher shown in Fig. 5 as it is when in operation, the deflector being suspended below the outlet.

rIhe means shown in Fig. 5 for holding the deiiector form no part of this present invention, but form the subject-matter of another Y application of even date herewith.

In the drawings, ce is the inlet of the automatic fire-extinguisher, provided with a screwthread, by which it is secured in any suitable pipe-fitting.

bis an lenlarged chamber, in which the piston c is placed with thetlange c', fitting the chamber water-tight, or constructed so as to be selfpacking.

bi is a projection ori/ip, by which the motion of the piston o is limited and prevented from being forced ou't of the chamber b. The piston c is provided with the central outlet, d, the rim of which forms the valve-seat. f

c is the valve, which in Figs. l, 2, 3, 5, and 6 is the central part of a deElector-disk, butin Fig. 4 is an ordinary valve. The valve is held in a fixed position either by securing the stem in a frame or distributer by means of fusible solder or by other means,which by the action of heat will release the valve and allow it to move outward sufficiently to discharge the water.

The action of the device is as follows.: When the valve is secured in the proper position, the extinguisher secured to a system of pipes, and the water or oth'er lire-extinguishing fluid is let on, the pressure of the water, acting on the large area ofthe piston c, between the central outlet and the an'ge c', forces the rim of the outlet h'rrnly against the valve, and no matter what the change in pressure or the Waterhammer, the joint will always remain tight. A spiral springis shown in Fig. 4. to hold the piston to the valve, and such a spring may be used in all the devices to insure a tight lit between the valve and outlet, assisted, however, by the pressure of the water on the piston. When, now, the heat rises to the pointat which the solder by which the valve, or a valve forming part of a deilector, fuses, the pressure exerted by the piston c will break the soldered joint, and the water will force the valve away from the outlet, when the water will be discharged either against the deiiector, and thus broken up and dispersed, or through the perforations of a distributor, to be spread over a large area on the fire, the oce of the piston c being to lnaintain a tight joint under all pressuresvand to assist in breaking the joint when weakened by heat.

In place of the overhanging edge b of the chamber b, any hind of stop may be used to prevent the piston c from being forced from the chamber.

IOO

Having thus described my invention, I claim l as new and desire t0 secure by Letters Patentl. In an automatic {ire-extinguisher, the combination, with a `piston having a central outlet and adapted to yield to the pressure of the fluid confined by it, of means or devices, substantially as described, for keeping a valve closed against said outlet until the restraint which said means exerts against the opening of the valve is removed by the action of heat.

2. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of the discharge-valve and a deector attached to and moving with said valve, with the piston constructed to maintain a water- Iightjoint between its outlet and the valve.

e. The combination, substantially as bef'ore set forth, of a piston capable of yielding to the pressure ot' the uid, having a valve-seat surrounding its outlet, and a valve against which the valve-seat is forced by the Huid-pressure on the piston,with means, substantially as described, for retaining the valve in place until released by the action of heat, as described.

FREDERICK GRINNELL.

Witnesses Y J. A. MILLER, Jr.,

M. E. EMERSON. 

